The Press., 1887-06-23

cealed between the soles of his shoes and returned to the point on the shore where he had first landed. He expected to be met by boat and to cross the Sound to Norwalk the next morning. Next morn ing he was captured, no doubt by Tory treachery, and taken to Howe's headquar- ters, the mansion of James Beekman, sit uated at (the present. Fiftieth street and Fifth avenue. That was on the 21st of September. Without trial and upon the evidence found on his person, Howe con demned him
 TO BE HUNG AS SPY
 the next morning. Indeed, Hale made no attempt at defence. He frankly owned his mission, and expressed regret that be could not serve his country better. His open, manly bearing and high spirits com handed the respect of his captors. Mercy he did no expect, and pity was not shown him. The British were irritated by a con- hagration which had that morning laid a. most q third of the city in ashes, and which they attributed to incendiary efforts to de- prive them of agreeable winter quarters. Hale was at first locked up in the Beck man green house. Whether he rem aimed there all night is not known, and the place of execution has been disputed l; but the best evidence seems to be that it took place
  side, in the orchard in the vicinity of the present East Broadway and Market street, aud that he was hung to the limb of an ap ple-tree.
 It was on lovely Sunday morning, be- fore the break of day, that he was marched to the place of execution, September 22d. While awaiting the necessary preparations, 8 courteous young officer permitted him to sit in his tent. He asked for the presence of chaplain his request was refused. He asked for bible it was denied. But at the solicitation of the young officer he was furnished with writing materials, and wrote briefly to his mother, his sister aud his betrothed. When the infamous Gun ningham, to whom Howe had delivered him, read what was written, he was furious at the noble and dauntless spirit shown, and with foul oaths tore the letter into shreds, saying afterwards that, "the rebels should never know that they had a man who could die with such firmness." As Hale stood upon the fatal ladder, Cunning ham taunted him, and scofingly demand. ed "his last dying speech and confession. |" THE HERO DID NOT HEED the words of the brute, but looking calm. ly upon the spectators said in a clear voice:
 "I only regret that have but one life to lose for my country"
 And the ladder was snatched from under him.
 My friends, we are not honoring to-day lad who appears for moment in an he- roic light, but one of the most worthy of the citizens of Connecticut, who has by his lofty character long hcnored her, where ever patriotism is not a mere name, and where Christian manhood is respected We have had many heroes, many youths of promise and men of note, whose names are our great and our only enduring riches, but no one of them all better illustrated, short as was his career, the virtues we de- sire for all our sons. We have long de- l4yed this tribute to his character and his deeds, but in spite of our neglect, his fame has grown year by year, as war and poli- tics have taught us what is really admir- able in human being, and we are now sure that we are not erecting memorial to an ephemeral reputation.
 It is fit that it should stand here, one of the chief distinctions of our splendid capi- f tol, here in the political center of the state, here ill the city where first in all the world was proclaimed aud put into a political charter the fundamental idea of democracy, that "Government rests upon the consent of the people," here in this city where by the action of three self-existing towns was formed the model, the town and the com- monwealth, the bi-cameral legislature of our constitutional Federal Union.
 If the soul of Nathan Hale, immortal in youth in the air of Heaven, can behold to. day this scene, as doubtless it can, in the midst of a state whose prosperity the young colonist could not have imagined in his widest dreams for his country, he must feel anew the truth that there is nothing too sacred for a man to give for his native land.
 GovernorLounsbury, the labor ofthe com. mission is finished. On their behalf pre-. sent this work of art to the state of Connec ticut.
 Let the statue speak for itself.